JP6679871B2 - Support transport device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a carrier device and a support carrier device, and more specifically, to a carrier device capable of holding and carrying an object, and a carrier carrier including such a carrier device and a support device supporting the object. Regarding the device.

  In the processing device, a transfer device that moves an object (work) between two positions may be used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a transport mechanism of a press device. The transport mechanism includes a work loading unit that transports an unprocessed work from the supply unit to the press unit, and a work unloading unit that transports the processed work from the press unit to the storage unit. The work carry-in means and the work carry-out means each hold a work using a chuck hand.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-286699

  As shown in Patent Document 1, when a work is conveyed using a chuck hand, it is common to hold the work by sandwiching it from the opposite direction. For example, when the work has a ring shape, it is common to sandwich and hold the cylindrical side surface of the ring. However, in such a chuck hand, the work may not be stably gripped depending on the state of the work, such as when the ring to be gripped is arranged inclined with respect to the chuck hand. Then, there is a possibility that the work may drop during transportation or the posture of the work may be largely collapsed (see FIG. 8). Further, in this type of chuck hand, it is necessary to change the mold or the stage when the shape or size of the work changes.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a carrier device capable of stably carrying an object having a through hole regardless of the shape or size of the object, and also to such a carrier device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a transport support device including a support device that supports an object.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a transfer device according to the present invention is a transfer device for transferring an object, wherein a base part, a drive part for driving a change in the posture and arrangement of the base part, and the base part are attached, A pressing member movable forward and backward between a front part away from the rear part and a rear part approaching the base part, extending forward from the base part, and at least one movable in a direction intersecting the forward and backward direction of the pressing member, A plurality of arm members, and a plurality of claw members that are fixed to the respective tips of the plurality of arm members and that can contact the object pushed forward by the pressing member from the front. is there.

  Here, it is preferable that the pressing member keeps applying a forward force to the object while the posture and the arrangement of the base are changed by the driving unit.

  It is preferable that the carrying device can hold a plurality of the objects side by side between the plurality of claw members and the pressing member.

  The drive unit may change the posture of the base unit until the claw member is disposed below the pressing member in the gravity direction.

  A supporting and conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a supporting apparatus having a skewer-shaped supporting member whose axis is oriented in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity, and the conveying apparatus described above.

  Here, the support device further includes a wall surface that fixes the support member at the base end, and an abutting member that is provided between the base end of the support member and the wall surface, and has a through hole. In a state in which an object is hung on the support member and brought into contact with the contact member, a gap is formed between the wall surface and the object, into which the plurality of claw members of the transport device can enter. .

  In the transfer device according to the above-mentioned invention, while the object to be transferred is arranged in front of the pressing member, the arm member is moved in a direction intersecting the advancing / retreating direction of the object, and the object is sandwiched by the arm member. The object can be held by moving the pressing member forward to apply a force to the object and pressing the object against the front claw member. In this state, the target can be transported by changing the posture and arrangement of the base by the drive unit. At this time, not only the object is sandwiched by the arm member from the outside, but also the object is held by applying a force directed from the pressing member to the claw member to the object in a direction intersecting with the sandwiching direction. The object can be held more stably than the case where the object is held only by the sandwiching force within one plane as in the case of using. Even if the posture of the target object to be conveyed is unstable due to factors such as the shape of the target object, pressing the target object against the claw member or external wall surface with the pressing member forces the posture of the target object. Can also be stabilized. Further, even if the object has various shapes and sizes, it is possible to stably convey the object only by adjusting the movement amounts of the arm member and the pressing member.

  Here, in the case where the pressing member continues to apply a forward force to the object while the posture and arrangement of the base portion are changed by the drive unit, the object can be firmly held, so Even if the posture and arrangement of the base portion are largely changed, the posture of the object with respect to the arm member, the claw member, and the pressing member is hard to change. Thereby, the object can be transported particularly stably.

  In the case where the transport device can hold a plurality of objects side by side between the plurality of claw members and the pressing member, the transport can be efficiently performed. At this time, since only the object arranged in the foremost position contacts the claw member, the influence of the claw member on each object can be suppressed.

  In the case where the drive unit can change the posture of the base part until the claw member is arranged below the pressing member in the direction of gravity, the orientation of the object will greatly change during transportation. However, since the object can be firmly held by the cooperation of the arm member, the claw member, and the pressing member, it is possible to carry the object stably even in such a situation.

  According to the supporting and conveying device of the above invention, the object having the through hole can be placed on the supporting member and supported by the supporting device. In this state, the arm member of the transfer device is brought into contact with the object from the side of the object hung on the support member, and the object is pressed by the pressing member toward the claw member, and then the base portion is moved by the drive unit. If the object is moved backward, the object can be detached from the supporting device and conveyed. Thus, the object can be transferred from the supporting device to the carrying device by a simple operation, and the object can be stably carried by the carrying device.

  Here, the support device further includes a wall surface for fixing the support member at the base end, and an abutment member provided between the base end and the wall surface of the support member, and the object having the through hole is supported by the support member. When a gap into which a plurality of claw members of the transport device can enter is formed between the wall surface and the object in a state of being contacted with the contact member by the support member, When removing the object, the object is pressed against an abutting member provided at the base end of the supporting member to stabilize the posture, and then the arm member is brought into contact with the object, so that the object is particularly stable. It can be held and transported. In particular, since the claw member of the conveying device can be inserted between the wall surface of the support member and the object in a state where the object is in contact with the contact member, the contact member is not provided and the wall surface and the object are not contacted. As compared with the case where a sufficient gap is not formed between the objects, the posture of the object can be stabilized and the operation of disposing the claw member in front of the work W can be simplified.

It is a perspective view showing the conveyance machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the process in which a conveyance device conveys a work from a supporting device to an accumulation part, and a process is advanced in order of (a) to (c). FIG. 3 is a view showing a continuation of FIG. 2, in which the steps are performed in the order of (a) → (b) → (c), (d). (C) is a side view showing a state of stacking on a stacking unit without a stacking chuck, and (d) is a positional relationship between an arm member and a claw member and a stacking chuck at the time of stacking on a stacking unit. FIG. It is a figure which shows the state which pressed the workpiece | work to the contact member, (a) is a state seen from a side surface, (b) is a state seen from a wall surface side (A arrow in a figure (a)). It is a partially transparent top view which shows the outline of the heat processing system of a hot forged product comprised including the said conveying apparatus. It is a figure which shows the example of the carrying-in apparatus which comprises the said heat processing system, (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view of a front-end | tip part. It is a side view which shows the state which is conveying the workpiece | work by the said carrying in apparatus. It is a side view which shows the state which hold | maintains the workpiece | work which has a taper in the wall surface of a through-hole, when a conveying apparatus does not have a pressing member, (a) is a state when hold | maintaining the workpiece | work hooked on the support member. , (B) show the state when the work is being conveyed.

  Hereinafter, a carrying device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Outline of heat treatment system]
First, with reference to FIG. 5, a brief description will be given of a carrier device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and a heat treatment system 100 including the carrier device 1. The carrier device 1 and the support device 2 included in the heat treatment system 100 constitute a support carrier device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the heat treatment system 100, a high-temperature work (object) W that has undergone hot forging is conveyed and subjected to heat treatment such as normalizing. The target work W may have any shape as long as it has the through hole W1, but here, a cylindrical (ring-shaped) work W is handled. In addition, in the heat treatment system 100, since the work W is held by being hung on the skewer-like member in many of the constituent devices including the support device 2, the work W has the through hole W1. Since the transfer device 1 itself according to one embodiment does not use the through hole W1 for transfer, it does not combine with a device such as the support device 2 that holds the work W by using the through hole W1, When the apparatus 1 is used, the work W having no through hole W1 can be a transfer target.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the present heat treatment system 100 includes a supply device 80, a delivery device 40, a carry-in device 30, a heat treatment furnace 50, and a transfer device according to an embodiment of the present invention from the upstream along the movement path of the work W. 1. The stacking unit 70 is provided. The support device 2 is provided inside the heat treatment furnace 50.

  The supply device 80 sequentially supplies the works W that have been subjected to hot forging by a forging device (not shown) one by one, as indicated by an arrow a1. In the transfer device 40, the five works W supplied from the supply device 80 are hung on the transfer skewer member 41 one by one as shown by an arrow a2. Then, after the transfer skewer member 41 has moved to the position indicated by the arrow a3, in the first transfer process p1, the work W is transferred to the carry-in device 30 in units of five pieces.

  The heat treatment furnace 50 is a heating furnace having an inlet 52 and an outlet 53 as openings. The support device 2 is installed inside the heat treatment furnace 50. The support device 2 includes a cylindrical wall surface 22 provided upright in the center of the heat treatment furnace 50, and a plurality of skewer-shaped members having a base end fixed to the wall surface 22 and a substantially horizontal shaft protruding radially outward from the wall surface 22. The support member 21 of FIG. A substantially T-shaped contact member 23 is provided between the base end of the support member 21 and the wall surface 22 (see FIG. 4). In the heat treatment furnace 50, the support device 2 is rotated around the central axis while the work W is hung on the support member 21 (rotation r). As a result, the work W hung on the support member 21 is subjected to heat treatment such as normalizing while moving inside the heat treatment furnace 50.

The carry-in device 30 carries in a set of five works W from the carry-in port 52 into the heat treatment furnace 50, and moves the work W to the support member 21 in the second transfer step p2. The work W hung on the support member 21 undergoes heat treatment while rotating to a position corresponding to the carry-out port 53, and is transferred to the transfer device 1 in the third transfer step p3 as it is in a set of five pieces. The carrier device 1 carries out the received work W from the carry-out port 53 of the heat treatment furnace 50. Then, the transport device 1 stacks the discharged work W in the stacking unit 70 in the fourth transfer step p4 with the axis substantially vertical. The works W accumulated in the accumulating unit 70 are pressed from the outer circumference by three accumulating chucks 71 that are provided upright on the circumference surrounding the works W. The works W accumulated in the accumulating unit 70 are then separated into a set of five pieces and subjected to a process such as cooling.

[Construction of transfer device]
Next, the configuration of the carrying device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described mainly with reference to FIG. In this specification, in describing the structure of the transport device 1, x, y, and z directions are defined as shown in FIG. That is, the direction orthogonal to the surface of the base 11 and moving away from the base 11 is the + x direction, and the two axes on the base 11 orthogonal to the x-axis direction are the y-axis and the z-axis.

  The carrying apparatus 1 has a base portion 11 as a base material that supports each member. The base 11 is attached to a robot arm 12 as a driving unit, and the posture and arrangement of the base 11 can be freely changed by the robot arm 12.

  The base 11 is provided with four elongated arm members 13. The four arm members 13 have the same length, each having a base end at the apex of a rectangle having sides parallel to the y-axis and the z-axis, and extend in the + x direction. The length of the arm member 13 is at least 5 times the thickness of the work W (the dimension in the direction along the axis of the through hole W1), and at least five work W are arranged along the axis of the arm member 13. You can Each of the four arm members 13 is movable in the ± z direction, and can move as a whole from the base end. Specifically, with the position shown in FIG. 1 being the original position, the two upper arm members 13a located on the + z side out of the four can move from the original position in the −z direction, and the four upper arm members 13a can move in the −z direction. Of these, the two lower arm members 13b located on the −z side can move from the original position toward the + z direction. The movement of each arm member 13 is driven by a cylinder (not shown) provided on the base 11. From the viewpoint of holding the work W in a region surrounded by the four arm members 13 in a state where the work W does not fall off, the length of the side of the rectangle formed by the four arm members 13 parallel to the y-axis is the expected work W. The outer diameter of the smallest of these is set below. Further, the length of the side parallel to the z-axis is longer than the outer diameter of the largest possible workpiece W in the state where each arm member 13 is in the original position, and each arm member 13 has a movable range. In the state where the work W is moved to the innermost side, the outer diameter of the smallest one of the assumed works W is set to be equal to or smaller than the outer diameter.

  Claw members 14 each made of a plate piece are fixed to the tips of the four arm members 13. Each claw member 14 is provided so as to protrude inward in the z direction from the axis of the arm member 13. That is, in the upper arm member 13a located on the + z side, the claw member 14 projects in the −z direction, and in the lower arm member 13b located on the −z side, the claw member 14 projects in the + z direction.

  The transport device 1 is further provided with a plate-shaped pressing member 15. The pressing member 15 is arranged at a position corresponding to the center of a rectangle formed by the four arm members 13 in the original position with the plate surface parallel to the yz plane. The size of the pressing member 15 is set so that it does not come into contact with any of the arm members 13 in the entire movable range of each arm member 13 and that the assumed work W is arranged in front of the end surface of the work W. It is set to be accessible. The pressing member 15 is connected to a cylinder 17 fixed to the base 11 via a connecting member 16, and is driven by the cylinder 17 to be able to move back and forth in the ± x directions.

  When the work W is transferred in the transfer device 1, the axes of the arm members 13 (x-axis direction) are arranged substantially horizontally, each arm member 13 is set to the original position, and the pressing member 15 is sufficiently moved in the −x direction. The cylindrical work W is disposed in front of the pressing member 15 (on the + x side) in the state of being retracted to the front. At this time, the work W is arranged with the axis of the cylinder oriented in the x-axis direction. Then, by moving the upper arm member 13a in the −z direction and the lower arm member 13b in the + z direction, each of the four arm members 13 is moved to the side surface of the work W (a cylindrical surface sandwiched between both end surfaces). Contact. Further, by moving the pressing member 15 forward, a forward force is applied to the rear surface of the work W, and the work W can be pressed against the claw member 14 provided in front of the arm member 13. . The claw member 14 contacts the end surface of the work W from the front. As described above, the work W is conveyed by driving the robot 11 to change the posture and arrangement of the base 11 while the work W is held by the four arm members 13, the claw members 14, and the pressing member 15. be able to. Even during conveyance, the pressing member 15 continues to apply a forward force to the work W, and maintains the state in which the work W is pressed against the claw member 14.

[Transportation of work by transfer device]
Here, the third transfer step p3 in which the transfer device 1 receives the work W from the support member 21 of the support device 2 provided in the heat treatment furnace 50, and the work W from the transfer device 1 to the stacking unit 70. The fourth transfer step p4 for moving will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. As described with reference to FIG. 5, in the third transfer step p3, the five works W are moved to the transfer device 1 at once from the support member 21 of the support device 2 on which the five works W are hung. To be done. Then, in the fourth delivery step p4, the five works W are moved from the transport device 1 to the stacking unit 70 at once.

  First, in the initial state before the work W is moved, as shown in FIG. 2A, the work W is moved to the shaft of the support member 21 which has reached the rotational position corresponding to the carry-out port 53 of the heat treatment furnace 50 by 5 times. It has been hung. A contact member 23 is fixed between the base end of the support member 21 and the wall surface 22. As shown in FIG. 4, the abutting member 23 includes a horizontal arm portion 23a that protrudes on both sides in a substantially horizontal direction and a lower arm portion 23b that protrudes downward in a substantially vertical direction with the base end position of the supporting member 21 as the center. It has a substantially T shape. The thickness of the contact member 23 is larger than the thickness of the claw member 14 of the transport device 1. In the initial state shown in FIG. 2A, the work W is not always in contact with the contact member 23 at the base end position of the support member 21.

  On the other hand, in the initial state, the transfer device 1 enters the heat treatment furnace 50 through the carry-out port 53. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the transport device 1 makes the axes of the four arm members 13 parallel to the axes of the support member 21, and sets the upper arm member 13a, which is the original position, to the upper position and also to the original position. The lower arm member 13b is in a state of being arranged below. The rectangular arm formed by the four arm members 13 faces the work W hung on the support member 21 at a substantially central portion.

  From the initial state as described above, the arm member 13 supported by the base portion 11 is advanced by the robot arm 12 toward the base end side (+ x direction) of the support member 21 (movement m1). The forward movement of the arm member 13 is continued until the claw member 14 contacts the wall surface 22 of the support device 2, as shown in FIG. In this state, the upper arm member 13a and the lower arm member 13b are arranged above and below the row of the five works W, respectively.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, the pressing member 15 of the transfer device 1 is advanced to the tip side of the arm member 13. As a result, the pressing member 15 comes into contact with the end surface of the work W hung on the support member 21 on the front end side of the support member 21, and applies a force f1 toward the base end side of the support member 21 to this end surface. As a result, the five works W are aligned with their end faces aligned in a substantially vertical direction without any gap therebetween, and are pressed against the contact member 23. After that, the force f1 from the pressing member 15 is maintained in the applied state during the transportation.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3A, the upper arm member 13a arranged above the work W is moved downward, and the lower arm member 13b arranged below the work W is moved upward (movement m2). ). As a result, the lower arm member 13b comes into contact with the side surface of the work W from below, and further lifts the work W upward. The work W contacts the upper arm member 13a on the upper side surface. As a result, each work W comes into contact with the four arm members 13 on the side surface. At this time, the claw member 14 enters the space formed between the work W that has abutted against the abutting member 23 and the wall surface 22 (see FIG. 4).

  From this state, as shown in FIG. 3B, the arm member 13 supported by the base portion 11 is retracted toward the base end side (−x direction) by the robot arm 12 (movement m3). As a result, the five workpieces W are surrounded by the arm member 13, sandwiched between the pressing member 15 and the claw member 14 and held, and the supporting member 21 of the supporting device 2 is removed. In the state of FIG. 3A, due to the difference in thickness between the contact member 23 and the claw member 14, a gap is generated between the workpiece W and the claw member 14 that are in contact with the contact member 23. However, since the pressing member 15 continues to apply the force f1 that pushes the work W forward, the pressing member 15 moves the work W toward the claw member 14 at the initial stage of the retracting operation of the arm member 13. Since it is pressed, this gap is eliminated as shown in FIG.

  The supporting device 2 supporting the work W escapes the carry-out port 53 of the heat treatment furnace 50 as it is, and conveys the work W to the position where the stacking unit 70 is provided. The pressing member 15 continues to apply the forward force f1 to the work W even during the conveyance, and presses the work W against the pawl member 14 to maintain a state of being firmly sandwiched between the work W and the pawl member 14.

  In the fourth transfer step p4, the transporting device 1 is substantially horizontal in the transporting process because the posture of the transporting device 1 is greatly changed during transporting in order to discharge the work W with the axis of the stacking unit 70 being substantially vertical. The arm member 13 is substantially vertical, and the claw member 14 is arranged below the pressing member 15 in the gravity direction. As shown in FIGS. 3D and 5, the stacking unit 70 is provided with a set of three stacking chucks 71. The three stacking chucks 71 are arranged on the circumference and can be opened and closed inward and outward with respect to the center of the circumference. The stacking chuck 71 can be positioned outside the outer shape of the work W with the stacking chuck 71 being opened to the outermost side, and when the transfer device 1 transfers the work W to the stacking unit 70 in the fourth transfer step p4, The collecting chuck 71 is opened to the outermost side. Then, the carrier device 1 places the work W with its axis substantially vertical in a region surrounded by the three stacking chucks 71 that are open. At this time, the carrier device 1 lowers the held work W in a state where the position of the end surface of the work W is aligned with the area as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D. Further, as shown in FIG. 3D, the two upper arm members 13 a sandwich one of the stacking chucks 71 so that the claw member 14 and the arm member 13 do not interfere with the three stacking chucks 71. In position, the two lower arm members 13b are arranged between the remaining stacking chucks 71. In addition, in FIG. 3C, the description of the collecting chuck 71 is omitted.

  Then, the force f1 applied to the pressing member 15 is released, and each arm member 13 is returned to the original position. As a result, the pressing member 15, the arm member 13, and the claw member 14 are separated from the work W. On the other hand, the three stacking chucks 71 are closed toward the inside of the circumference (movement m4) and brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the work W. The works W are stacked vertically with their axes substantially vertical, and are stacked in the stacking unit 70 while the outer circumference of the stacking chuck 71 is being held down. Then, the transport device 1 leaves the stacking unit 70 and prepares to receive the next work W from the support device 2.

[Effects of stability of transportation by the transportation device]
The transport device 1 according to the present embodiment, having the above configuration, has the following operational effects.

  In the present transfer device 1, the work W can be stably held and transferred by the cooperation of the arm member 13, the claw member 14, and the pressing member 15. If the work W is not sandwiched from the side surface without the pressing member 15 and only the claw member 14 prevents the work W from falling off the tip side of the arm member 13, the work W is There is a possibility that the posture may be changed in the space surrounded by the arm members 13 during the transfer, and that a plurality of works W being transferred at the same time may move with respect to each other. Then, the transportation cannot be performed stably. In particular, as described above, when the work W is received from the support member 21 arranged substantially horizontally and rotated by about 90 °, and the work W is accumulated in the accumulating unit 70 with its axis substantially vertical, it is accompanied by a large change in posture. In addition, the destabilization of the posture of the work W may cause the work W to fall off or cause damage due to mutual collision of the plurality of works W. In particular, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the wall surface of the through hole W1 of the work W is provided with a taper W2, the work W hung on the support member 21 with respect to the axis of the support member 21 is It tends to incline. When the workpiece W in such a state is sandwiched between the arm member 13 and the claw member 14 and is to be conveyed by the conveying device having no pressing member 15, the arm member 13 and the claw member are as shown in FIG. 8B. The work W falls down in the space surrounded by 14. Then, the work W being transported may be dropped.

  On the other hand, if the holding member 15 is provided in addition to the arm member 13 and the claw member 14 as in the transport device 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the support member 21 is provided as illustrated in FIG. The work W can be forcibly aligned by pressing the work W to the base end side of the work, and the work W can be transported while maintaining the aligned state. If the outer shape of the work W is formed in a cylindrical shape, the work W may be pressed against the contact member 33 by the pressing member 15 regardless of the state of the through hole W1 such as when the work W has a taper W2. Then, the both end surfaces are aligned in a state in which they are oriented in a direction parallel to the surface of the pressing member 15. The gap generated between the plurality of works W is also eliminated.

  After aligning the works W in this way, in addition to the effect of sandwiching the works W from the side surface by the arm members 13, a force f1 is exerted on the works W from the pressing member 15 in a direction intersecting the sandwiching, and the claw members 14 The work W can be stably held due to the effect of being pressed against. The occurrence of scratches due to collisions between the plurality of works W can also be suppressed. Furthermore, by continuously applying the force f1 from the pressing member 15 to the work W even during the conveyance, as shown in FIG. 3C, a large posture change is performed so that the claw member 14 side faces downward. Even if it does, the state in which the work W is firmly held can be stably maintained. Further, since the force f1 of pressing the work W toward the claw member 14 by the pressing member 15 has a great effect on the stable holding of the work W, the force of laterally sandwiching the work W by the arm member 13 can be reduced. . As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the side surface of the work W is scratched, as compared with the case where the side surface of the work W is strongly sandwiched by a gripping member such as a chuck hand. The claw member 14 is also a member that may damage the work W, but when carrying a plurality of works W, only the end surface of one work W contacts the claw member 14. Since there is no possibility that the claw member 14 will damage the other works W, the effects of the scratches can be suppressed as a whole for the plurality of works W.

  Further, in the present transport apparatus 1, even if the shape or size of the work W is changed, various works W can be held only by adjusting the movement amount of each arm member 13 and the pressing member 15. Therefore, the work W can be stably held and transported regardless of the shape and size of the work W. Although the four arm members 13 are movable in the vertical direction in the above description, they may be movable in the lateral direction (y direction). Furthermore, the number of arm members 13 is not limited to four, and any number of three or more can be selected, and at least one of them can be moved in the direction intersecting the x axis. However, if the number of arm members 14 is four, the movable mechanism can be simply configured.

  The carrying device 1 does not limit the form of the supporting device that holds and delivers the work W, but unlike the supporting device 2 of the above-described embodiment, it has a skewered shape with its axis oriented in the direction intersecting with gravity. By using a supporting device which has the supporting member 21 and supports the work W having the through hole W1 by hanging it on the supporting member 21 in combination with the conveying device 1 to form a supporting and conveying device, the conveying device 1 conveys the workpiece. The effect of stabilization and efficiency can be further enhanced. The work W can be held by pressing the work W against the base end side of the support member 21 by the transfer device 1 to stabilize the posture, while moving the work W along the axis of the support member 21. This is because it can be removed from the supporting device 2.

  Further, as in the above-described embodiment, in the support device 2, by providing the substantially T-shaped contact member 23 at the base end portion of the support member 21, the work W can be held particularly stably by the transfer device 1. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the work W is pressed against the contact member 23 and the claw member 14 of the transport device 1 is inserted into the gap between the work W and the wall surface 22. Since the contact member 23 has the horizontal arm portion 23a that horizontally projects from the base end portion of the support member 21 and the lower arm portion 23b that projects downward, the workpiece W that is hung on the support member 21 by using the pressing member 15. When the workpiece W is pressed against the abutting member 23, the works W can be aligned in a state where the end face is perpendicular to the axis of the support member 21 without inclining in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. Further, due to the presence of the contact member 23 thicker than the claw member 14, a gap larger than the thickness of the claw member 14 is secured between the wall surface 22 and the work W pressed against the wall surface 22 by the pressing member 15. . Moreover, the contact member 23 is formed in a T shape, and has a space for disposing the claw member 14 above and below the horizontal arm portion 23a. Therefore, when the four arm members 13 approach the work W from above and below as shown in FIG. 3A, the claw members 14 automatically enter the space between the work W and the wall surface 22. Then, when the arm member 13 is retracted by the robot arm 12, the claw member 14 presses the end surface of the work W as shown in FIG. 3B.

[Configuration of carry-in device]
Finally, the configuration of the carry-in device 30 used in the heat treatment system 100 will be outlined. As the carry-in device 30, one having the same configuration as the above-described carrier device 1 used for carrying out the work W from the heat treatment furnace 50 may be used. However, in the carry-in device 30, the work W hung on the delivery skewer member 41 arranged substantially horizontally of the delivery device 40 is conveyed in the substantially horizontal arrangement and hung on the support member 21 of the support device 2. However, it is not necessary to change the posture of the large work W such as when the work W is stacked on the stacking unit 70 with the axis substantially vertical. Therefore, it is not required to stabilize the posture of the work W so strongly in order to prevent the work W from falling off. Therefore, the carry-in device 30 can have a simpler configuration than the transport device 1. As an example of the configuration of the carry-in device 30, a device as shown in FIG. 6 can be cited.

  The carry-in device 30 shown in FIG. 6 has a base 31 as a base material that supports each member. The base portion 31 has a frame portion 31b formed by a bar material in a substantially box shape, and a plate-shaped support plate 31a provided at the tip of the frame portion 31b. The base 31 is attached to a robot arm 32 as a drive unit, and the posture and arrangement of the base 31 can be freely changed by the robot arm 32.

  The support plate 31a of the base 31 is provided with a skewer-shaped holding member 34 at the center. The holding member 34 has a shaft perpendicular to the surface of the support plate 31a and a base end fixed to the support plate 31a. The length of the holding member 34 is 5 times or more the thickness of the works W, and at least 5 works W can be hung. Hereinafter, the direction from the base end side to the tip end side along the axis of the holding member 34 is defined as the + x 'direction, and as shown in FIG. 6, the x', y ', and z'axes are defined.

  In the carry-in device 30, a column 36 is further provided with its axis parallel to the holding member 34. The column 36 is provided at a position away from the holding member 34 in the + z ′ direction and extends to the vicinity of the tip of the holding member 34. The distance between the holding member 34 and the column 36 is determined so that the work W hung on the holding member 34 does not come into contact with the column 36 at least in the state where the column 36 is arranged above the holding member 34. The column 36 can be axially rotated by a rotary air cylinder 38 fixed to the base 31.

  A detachment prevention member 37 formed as an elongated plate piece is fixed to the tip of the column 36 at one end in the long axis direction. By axially rotating the support column 36 by the rotary air cylinder 38, the captive prevention member 37 can move between the captive prevention position shown by the solid line in FIG. 6A and the release position shown by the dotted line. Has become. At the drop-off prevention position, the drop-off prevention member 37 has its major axis oriented in the −z ′ direction and its tip faces the holding member 34. At the release position, the fall prevention member 37 rotates 90 ° from the fall prevention position, and the major axis is in the y ′ direction.

  When the holding member 34 is inserted into the through hole W1 of the work W and the work W is to be hung on the holding member 34, or when the work W hung on the holding member 34 is to be removed from the holding member 34, the dropout occurs. By disposing the prevention member 37 at the release position, the falling prevention member 37 does not contact the work W and prevent the work W from being unloaded. On the other hand, if the fall prevention member 37 is arranged at the fall prevention position while the work W is hung on the holding member 34, no gap is left between the tip of the holding member 34 and the fall prevention member 37 so that the work W can pass therethrough. It becomes a state. As a result, even if the work W tries to fall from the tip of the holding member 34, the fall prevention member 37 comes into contact with the surface of the work W facing the + x ′ side, so that the work W is prevented from coming off.

  Further, a plate-shaped pusher (pushing member) 35 is provided on the base end side of the holding member 34. The pusher 35 is driven by the cylinder 33 fixed to the base portion 31 and is movable independently of the holding member 34 in the ± x ′ direction along the axis of the holding member 34. The pusher 35 has an inclined surface 35a on the surface facing the + x 'direction. The inclined surface 35a has a linear inclination along the z′-axis direction, and moves toward the + z ′ direction, which is a direction toward the column 36 and the captive prevention member 37 at the captive prevention position, of the holding member 34. It protrudes in the + x 'direction on the tip side.

  When the pusher 35 is moved forward in the + x ′ direction with the work W hanging on the holding member 34, the inclined surface 35 a of the pusher 35 can be brought into contact with the −x ′ side surface of the work W. Then, a force toward the + x ′ direction can be applied to the work W. Further, when the pusher 35 is moved forward with the drop-prevention member 37 placed in the drop-prevention position, the work W is pressed toward the drop-prevention member 37, and the work W is sandwiched between the pusher 35 and the drop-prevention member 37. Thus, the work W can be held as shown in FIG.

  When the loading device 30 receives the work W from the delivery device 40 in the first delivery step p1 shown in FIG. 5, first, the tip of the holding member 34 of the delivery device 30 is attached to the tip surface of the delivery skewer member 41 of the delivery device 40. The faces are butted. The fall prevention member 37 is arranged at the release position and is in a state of not contacting the work W. In this state, a force is applied to the work W toward the tip side of the delivery skewer member 41 by a delivery pusher (not shown) provided on the base end side of the delivery skewer member 41, and The holding member 34 is moved. Then, the holding member 34 on which the work W is hung is separated from the delivery skewer member 41 by the robot arm 32.

  Next, the fall prevention member 37 is arranged at the fall prevention position. Then, the pusher 35 is advanced toward the tip side of the holding member 34, and the work W is pushed (force f′1). As a result, the voids generated between the five works W are eliminated, and the five works W are pressed against the fall prevention member 37 in a state where the works W are in close contact with each other. By bringing the works W into close contact with each other, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of scratches due to the collision between the works W being conveyed and the heat dissipation from the site between the works W.

  After receiving the work W in the first delivery step p1, the carry-in device 30 sandwiches the work W between the fall prevention member 37 and the pusher 35 to prevent the work W from falling off as shown in FIG. The work W is moved to the position of the carry-in port 52 of the heat treatment furnace 50. Then, in the third delivery step p3, the work W is delivered to the support member 21 of the support device 2. At this time, first, the carry-in device 30 causes the tip end surface of the holding member 34 to abut against the tip end surface of the support member 21. Next, the force f'1 applied to the work W from the pusher 35 is temporarily released, and the fall prevention member 37 is moved to the release position. Then, the pusher 35 is advanced to the tip side of the holding member 34, and the work W is pushed and moved to the support member 21. Further, the work W moved to the support member 21 is pushed by the pusher 35 and pressed against the contact member 23 provided at the base end portion of the support member 21.

  In the carry-in device 30, since the holding member 34 is configured as a simple skewer-shaped member, various workpieces W can be held regardless of the shape or size as long as the holding member 34 has the through hole W1. It can be hung on 34 and conveyed. Further, by simply using the pusher 35 or the like to slide the work W along the axis of the holding member 34 toward the base end side or the tip end side, the work W can be easily detached from the holding member 34 at high speed. It can be carried out. Further, in the carry-in device 30, the pusher 35 is used to eliminate the voids generated between the plurality of works W and to sandwich the work W in cooperation with the fall prevention member 1. W can be stably transported. Note that the drop prevention member 37 does not necessarily have to be provided when the work W is unlikely to drop out, such as when the work W is transported at a low speed. Further, the front surface of the pusher 35 does not necessarily have to be inclined, but by providing the inclined surface 35a, the upper part of the work W is preferentially pushed out by the pusher 35 to prevent falling. When pressed against the member 37, the lower portion reaches the same position along the axis of the holding member 34. As a result, it is possible to prevent the work W from being greatly tilted and the posture becoming unstable during the push-out by the pusher 35.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 carrying device 11 base 12 robot arm 13 arm member 13a upper arm member 13b lower arm member 14 claw member 15 pressing member 17 cylinder 2 supporting device 21 supporting member 22 wall surface 23 abutting member 23a horizontal arm part 23b lower arm part 30 carrying-in device 40 transfer device 41 transfer skewer member 50 heat treatment furnace 52 carry-in port 53 carry-out port 70 stacking unit 71 stacking chuck 80 supply device 100 heat treatment system W work W1 through hole

Claims (8)

A transport device for transporting an object having a through hole, and a support device for supporting the object,
The carrier is
The base,
A driving unit for driving the change of attitude and arrangement of the base,
A pressing member that is attached to the base and that can move back and forth between the front away from the base and the rear approaching the base;
A plurality of arm members extending forward from the base portion, at least one of which is movable in a direction intersecting the advancing / retreating direction of the pressing member;
Said respectively fixed to the tips of the plurality of arm members, the pressing the object to be pushed forward by a member, possess a plurality of claw members which can be contacted from the front, and
The supporting device is
A skewer-shaped support member whose axis is oriented in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity,
A wall surface for fixing the support member at the base end,
A contact member provided between the base end of the support member and the wall surface,
The thickness of the contact member is larger than the thickness of the plurality of claw members of the transport device,
In a state in which the object is hung on the support member and brought into contact with the contact member, a gap is formed between the wall surface and the object, into which the plurality of claw members of the transport device can enter. A supporting and transporting device characterized in that The support transport according to claim 1, wherein in the transport device, the pressing member continues to apply a forward force to the object while the posture and the arrangement of the base are changed by the drive unit. apparatus. The conveying device, during the pressing member and the plurality of pawl members, support transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it can be held side by side a plurality of the objects. The support / conveyance device according to claim 3, wherein the support member of the support device can hang a plurality of the objects side by side. 5. The drive unit of the transfer device is capable of changing the posture of the base portion until the claw member is arranged below the pressing member in the gravity direction . The supporting and conveying device according to item 1 . The abutting member of the supporting device has an arm portion that protrudes to both sides in the horizontal direction and an arm portion that protrudes in the vertical direction centering on the position of the base end of the supporting member. The supporting and transporting device according to any one of 1 to 5. The support member of the support device has an axis oriented in the horizontal direction,
7. The transport device receives the object hung on the support member from the support device in a state where the arm member is horizontal, and the transport device according to claim 1. Supporting and transporting device. 8. The support / conveyance apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the forward / backward direction of the pressing member of the conveyance apparatus is along the direction in which the arm member extends.

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